Obsession
by DragonyPhoenix
Summary: Written for niki1988's birthday. Season 3. Angel proposes to Willow.


Episode: Beauty and the Beasts

"Gee, patrolling Jurassic Park. What fun." The branch, hanging across her path, was heavy with lush dark leaves. As she pushed it up and out of her way, Buffy wished she hadn't been drawn back to Angel's mansion. It wasn't like a bunch of demons would be skulking in its gardens. Okay, Spike, Drusilla, and Angel. Angelus that is. Angelus had set up home in the mansion but … But nothing. There was nothing here for her anymore and the sooner she figured that out, the better it'd be. She didn't need to be here. She should stick to cemeteries.

Leaves rustled off to her left. She saw a flash of movement, something pale, something big, here one moment and gone the next. Something crawled up her spine as she thought back to the movie. The hunter, busy telling one dinosaur it was a clever girl, missed another dino flanking him from different side.

She tightened her grip on her stake and ran forward, racing around the bend as, bam, something crashed into her and knocked her to the ground. When she looked up, she saw Angel, not the Angel she'd known but it wasn't Angelus either. His lips were wet with blood. He seemed more animal than man. He took a step toward her but then turned and ran.

He was fast but not thinking and Buffy knew these trails. She cut him off and kicked out his leg as he ran past, sending him sprawling to the ground. A couple of kicks and a punch to the face kept him down. Great, now what?

He was heavy, so heavy that she'd never have lugged him up without Slayer strength. It was a lot like carting off a dead demon, but no, he wasn't dead, or he was but not completely. Or something. She managed to get him chained up while he was still knocked out although she'd scraped his knees against the ground getting him back to the mansion.

He'd killed. She didn't know what – human, demon, animal – but his lips were bloody, had been bloody even when she'd found him. She should kill him. If he was Angelus, she had to kill him, but she couldn't, not until she knew which one he was.

When he came to a spasm ran through his body and his gaze, darting around the mansion, reminded her of a feral beast in a trap. When he saw her, he jerked away, as far away as the chains would let him, and cowered against the wall. When she said his name, he looked up and, oh God, he was afraid, he was so afraid of her. She backed away, moved around the corner where he couldn't see her but he didn't calm down. No, he wouldn't, because, vamp senses, he could smell her. It was probably worse, smelling her but not seeing where she was. Buffy ran into the night, leaving Angel, Angelus, whoever he was, behind. What had they done to him?

Debbie had dropped onto the bench. With her hands grabbing at the fabric and her arms, twisted around herself, her white sweater reminded Willow of a straightjacket. "He does love me. He does love me."

Buffy's hands flew up. "This is useless. We have to go. I have to find Pete."

"He does love me."

"Come on." Willow tried to help Debbie up, but the girl wouldn't move.

"He does love me."

"I think we broke her."

From the door, Buffy said, "I think she was broken before this," and then she was gone.

Willow called out as she chased after Buffy. "How're you going to stop Pete? I mean he's human so you can't kill him right?"

"No, leave him alone." And that had gotten Debbie up and off the bench.

"I don't know but …"

There was a scream. It seemed to be coming from the library. Oh God, Oz.

"What was that?" Giles was the first through the doors, with Buffy and Faith close behind. Buffy grabbed for the dart gun as Willow and Debbie skidded to a halt. At the far end of the room, Oz, all werewolfed out, fought Pete. Willow could see Oz's clothes scattered all over the stairs, pretty much shredded and, oh, what was he going to wear the next day when the werewolf wore out, and okay maybe that wasn't the most important thing right now giving that he and Pete were trying to kill each other.

As Buffy aimed the gun, Debbie shoved her to the side. "Pete, watch out!"

Giles turned. Willow could see the dart in his hip. "Oh, right. Bloody priceless." He fell towards the fight but Oz ran around the counter, through the doors, and into the hallway.

Buffy tossed the dart gun to Faith. "You get the wolf."

"Got it."

Oz was taking a right at the far end of the corridor as Willow followed Faith into the hallway. Faith was running all out, Willow couldn't keep up. By the time she made the turn, she could see Faith making a left way down at the far end of that hall. Panting, Willow chased after. By the time she made the far end of that hall, there was no one in sight. Willow slowed to a walk, scanning for clues. "Oz?" And okay, maybe calling for Oz wasn't the best idea especially since he was all wolfy right now but he could be hurt. What if Pete had come around and snuck up on Oz and he couldn't defend himself except she supposed Oz really could because he was all wolfy and that sort of went with being able to fight.

One of the doors was open and not just a classroom door, a door to the outside. It shouldn't be open, not at this hour. Willow pushed through the door. "Oz? Faith?" Gosh, it sure was dark out here back behind the school. Yeah, there was a light but it didn't really brighten up all that much. Willow heard a growling. "Oz?"

"Bitch!"

Oh, not Oz. "Pete. Uh, I see you managed to lose Buffy, I mean not that she'd be chasing you or anything because why would she and …"

The back of his hand smashed into her face and Willow felt herself falling. She tried to reach out but there was nothing to hold onto and she fell onto the cement and it knocked the breath out of her and she couldn't move.

He grabbed her sweater and yanked her off the ground. "All the same." He hit her again. She raised her arms to protect her face but that just seemed to make him madder. "You're all the same."

And then they were both flying, well, moving really fast and she was on the ground again but more off to the side. "Buffy?" But it wasn't Buffy. It was Angel or maybe Angelus, she couldn't really be sure. He was all vamped out, which sort of argued for Angelus, but he was fighting Pete who was more of a monster than a human but maybe they were fighting over who got to kill her. And he was naked, not naked naked because he was wearing pants, but there was nothing hiding his torso and all those muscles and maybe she shouldn't be looking because he was, sort of, Buffy's boyfriend but it was hard not to watch as he punched Pete because he might be the one to kill her if he won the fight but, wait, hadn't Buffy said that the spell had worked and that Angel had been Angel again before he'd been sent to hell but then if he was Angel wouldn't he still be in hell?

As Pete lunged forward, his arms wrapped around Angel's? Angelus'? throat, shoving Angel into the wall. Then Pete sort of twisted somehow and Angel or Angelus was on the ground and Pete had turned back to her. Oh, and she should have been running away but now it was too late and Pete was going to kill her but then Angel was on his feet and there was the sound of something metal, like a leash or something, but it wasn't a leash, it was chains and they were around Angel's wrists or maybe just in his hands and then they were wrapped around Pete's throat, choking him, and there was a yank of Angel's hand and a crack and Pete fell to the ground.

Willow slowly rose to her feet. "Angel?" Angelus?

His face went back to human, which was good, that was good, right? But he was walking toward her, slowly, was that a predator kind of a walk, a hunting prey sort of a thing? And then he was standing right before her. His mouth opened as if he were breathing but he didn't need to breathe so maybe it was more of a speaking thing. "Willow?"

Buffy jumped down from out of nowhere, oh, or maybe from the roof. She was standing there watching Angel or maybe Angelus standing really, really close to her and Willow wasn't sure if Buffy could kill him before he killed her or maybe that was if Buffy would kill him before he attacked her 'cause they had that whole history and all.

"Angel?" Buffy didn't sound surprised. Why wasn't she surprised that Angel had turned up out of nowhere.

And suddenly Angel was on the ground, sort of scrambling away, his eyes firmly on Buffy as he repeated the same four words over and over. "Please don't hurt me. Please don't hurt me. Please don't hurt me."


End file.
